Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Sunday, February 28, 2010

A classic made from jello, juices, ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, and sherbet, this party punch shows up at just about every event imaginable in the south. Photo Credit: Taste of Home.

Party Punch

Though this is not a southern punch as far as I know, almost every baby shower, wedding shower, wedding reception, reunion, pot luck, church social, "fill-in-the-blank-home-party," or other social event that I attended most of my life, has had a party punch in some variation of this one. Sometimes it's called Bride's Punch, Reception Punch, Wedding Punch, Creamy Punch, Holiday Punch or Sherbet Punch.

Sherbet is optional (but not in my opinion), though it creates a nice creamy layer on the top of the punch that I personally just love. {Think melted marshmallows on top of hot chocolate or a latte with rich, foamed milk floating on the top and you'll know what I mean!} Pineapple sherbet seems to be used the most, but you can use whatever flavor sherbet you like best. Ice rings made in a mold, or using a bundt pan, or even just plain ice tray ice cubes, made using some of the punch, are perfect for keeping the punch cold without diluting it, and adds an extra pretty element to the punch bowl. The use of frozen fruit is another optional add-in and can be used either inside of an ice ring, or simply floated in the punch. I like to flash freeze fruit first either way.

I can honestly say that until I ran across the recipe Mama used, I had no idea that there was Jello involved in the making of this punch, but some variations are made using only the juices and either ginger ale or Sprite/7-up, so you could certainly leave it out. I do want to say that Mama mostly used Sprite or 7-up (whichever was on sale likely) rather than ginger ale though, and I'm pretty sure she usually used pineapple sherbet in her punch. Sometimes she added an ice ring, sometimes with fruit in it, but always admired.

I know one other thing - as many variations of this punch that I have tried, and I've tried a lot of them - I don't think I've had one that I didn't like. Make it your own way - it's just good stuff!

This makes a large party punch - probably around 120 small, punch cup servings - so you'll need a very large pot or other large container to blend everything in, and then smaller containers to transfer the punch into for chilling in the refrigerator. Well washed, leftover milk jugs or orange juice cartons work well. I haven't gotten around to preparing this punch so I've borrowed a picture from Taste of Home to be representative until I do. You can find their recipe Photo Credit: here.

3 large bottles of ginger ale, or liters of 7-up or Sprite or any combination of them

4 quarts of pineapple or other sherbet, optional

Fresh fruit, flash frozen individually, optional (see note in recipe)

Instructions

In a very large pot or other container, dissolve the Jello in the boiling water; add the sugar, stirring until dissolved, then add the cold water. Mix the orange juice according to the package directions and pour into the Jello mixture; stir. Repeat with the lemonade. DO NOT add the ginger ale or 7-up/Sprite at this stage!! That will be added just before serving. Stir to blend well and transfer into individual storage containers to chill. Well washed, leftover milk jugs or orange juice cartons work well for this. Chill for at least 24 hours.

If making an ice ring or ice cubes, pour some of the mixed Jello and juice into the trays or ice ring mold. If desired, add in some of the freshly flash-frozen fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. (To flash freeze the fruit, simply clean and rinse the fruit and spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer.) To freeze fruit inside a mold and have the fruit right at the top, freeze the mold in stages. Add just enough liquid to barely cover the fruit to your mold. Carefully place the fruit where you want it and transfer to the freezer. Freeze until set, then top with more of the juice. Freeze for at least 24 hours total time.

To assemble the punch, run a bit of warm water over the bottom of the ice mold to unseat it. You'll see when it releases. Invert the ring over the bottom of the punch bowl to carefully pop it out. How many punch bowls you'll get out of this will depend on how large the punch bowl is. Fill the punch bowl about 1/2 full with the juice mixture, see what you have left of it, and you'll know how many bowls you'll get out of the batch. Then, add in the appropriate amount of ginger ale/Sprite/7-up and spoon in enough sherbet until top is covered. Replenish in that order - juice, ginger ale/Sprite and sherbet - as needed.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Thanks y'all - yep. It is "the" punch of popularity. I wonder just how long it's been around? All of my life I think!!

It's a big ole batch of punch, but if you'd like to make it for a gathering you can of course, reduce the recipe.

Oh Mary, I can't take credit for that picture. It's got a photo credit link underneath it!! I had to borrow a picture because I haven't had a reason to make that punch unfortunately, but a reader wanted my recipe. But thanks, you're sweet. :)

I just completed making this punch for a graduation party for tomorrow. I am having around 35 people so I just halved the recipe. I know the measurements are not quite right but I used a whole orange and lemonade concentrate and two 64 oz pineapple juice and it taste delicious. I am sure it will be awesome once I add the soda and sherbert. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. I am making the grape jelly meatballs too.

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!

From time to time, anonymous restrictions and/or comment moderation may be activated due to comment spam. I also reserve the right to edit, delete or otherwise exercise total editorial discretion over any comments left on this blog.

Hey Y’all! Welcome to some good ole, down home southern cooking. Pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and 'sit a bit' as we say down south. If this is your first time visiting Deep South Dish, you can sign up for FREE updates via EMAIL or RSS feed, or you can catch up with us on Facebook and Twitter too!

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. ~Julia Child

The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

Oftentimes what makes a recipe southern, is as much a state of mind as it is a matter of geography - Southerners simply decide a particular food is southern, and that's that." ~Rick McDaniel, Food Historian

DISCLAIMER: This is a recipe site intended for entertainment. By using this site and these recipes you agree that you do so at your own risk, that you are completely responsible for any liability associated with the use of any recipes obtained from this site, and that you fully and completely release Mary Foreman and Deep South Dish LLC and all parties associated with either entity, from any liability whatsoever from your use of this site and these recipes.

ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. CONTENT THEFT, EITHER PRINT OR ELECTRONIC, IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Recipes may be printed ONLY for personal use and may not be transmitted, distributed, reposted, or published elsewhere, in print or by any electronic means. Seek explicit permission before using any content on this site, including partial excerpts, all of which require attribution linking back to specific posts on this site. I have, and will continue to act, on all violations.